- It is the Hollywood way. Movies that have been out for
decades get the treatment, mediocre films from recent years are handled the
same way and releases that achieve even a modicum of success at the box office
damn sure get a sequel or five to maximize their earning potential. That means
a strong start for Brad Pitt’s zombie drama “World War Z” was bound to generate
interest in and the eventual approval of a second film in the franchise. Indeed,
Paramount is already churning on the follow-up to the movie based on the acclaimed
2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks. Paramount vice president Rob Moore confirmed
the plan. Pitt both starred in and served as a producer on World War Z and Moore praised his
efforts in guiding the project through its teething difficulties. "The
great thing about this process was that it showed what a great partner and
producer Brad is. He made a true commitment," Moore said. The first movie
in the franchise, still cranking out big dollars in theaters worldwide, stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a UN employee
combing the globe for information to stop a zombie epidemic wiping out entire
countries around the world. It was directed by “Quantum of Solace” director
Marc Foster and was made for a truly meager $190 million budget that left it
with a large mountain to climb in order to avoid being a colossal cinematic flop.
Yet its early returns have been strong and in its opening weekend, “Z” brought
in $112 million globally and should have what passes these days for a long run
of success in theaters. Maybe the second film can also succeed where the first
one failed: reaching theaters in time. “World War Z” was released six month
later than originally planned. It remains to be seen how a story of the world
overcoming a hostile global takeover by the zombies can be recycled and
repackaged, but if there is money to be made doing it then someone is certainly
going to try……..
- Let this be a lesson to one and all: Make asininely
offensive, insensitive and insulting clothing and try to sell it to the masses
and you will reap the whirlwind. Solid Gold Bomb, the small
clothing company in Worcester, Mass. that made headlines for posting offensive T-shirts for
sale online, is now officially out of business. Solid Gold Bomb made headlines
for all of the wrong reasons in March when it offered shirts that said
"Keep Calm and Rape a Lot." It was an un-clever play on a different
phrase and the negative public relations from the offending shirt led to a
downward spiral that ended last week when the company closed its doors and let
its remaining three employees go. Company founder Michael Fowler is now neck-deep
in debt and says he's still getting death threats, including one particularly
angry stalker who hounded him for months and insisted on meeting him in person.
"It's
my fault, and I paid dearly," Fowler said. "My life's work. Twenty
years I've been building this up." The company’s shirts became an online
sensation for all of the wrong reasons in March when someone browsing Amazon's
marketplace discovered shirts with messages of misogyny and murder. All of the
designs were parodies of the old British slogan "Keep Calm and Carry
On." Amazon quickly yanked down all of Fowler's products and with them
went all of his company’s best avenues for sales. An apology from Fowler and a
promise that the shirts never really existed and were nothing more than the
result of a computer program that automatically generated random phrases and
images did little to calm the sh*t storm. The program that designed the shirts,
Fowler added, was the same one his company had used to boost its catalog from
1,000 designs to more than 10 million. However, shirts with slogans like, "I mustache
you a question” are significantly different than one suggesting to keep one’s
cool and sexually assault multiple women. After the controversy broke, order
declined from 400 a day to around 100. Amazon eventually allowed Fowler’s
products back on its site, but the damage was done. He fired half of his
employees and invested $35,000 of his own money to keep the company going. The
decline was complete last week when he axed his operations manager and two remaining
employees by phone…….
- Tracking cheetahs living in the Okavango River delta of Botswana
seems like the reason an aspiring young mind would want to pursue a career in
science. Using what you learn from such studies to build better robots sounds
even cooler and thanks to the scientists responsible for a new study published
in the journal Nature, that just may happen. For the project,
the researchers tracked several cheetahs using solar-powered collars that recorded GPS
data along with information from accelerometers and gyroscopes. Once collected,
the data was averaged and analyzed in order to work through any possible
shortcomings, such as GPS inaccuracy during fast movement, battery life and
errors associated with each individual measurement. Even though cheetahs have a
deserved reputation for tracking down prey such as antelope, impalas or gazelles,
by cutting corners during the chase and tripping them up with a paw swipe, no
one had an accurate picture of the role a cheetah’s agility and acceleration
play in its hunting prowess. The nimble cats can run at around 60 miles per
hour, but the researchers for this particular study found that many successful
hunts occurred at relatively low speeds, with a top speed of only 30 mph. The
cheetahs’ acceleration and ability to quickly change direction did play a large
role in their hunting, so speed does still kill in a sense. Using what was
learned from the research, other scientists will have a better understanding of
the locomotion of cheetahs and it is that knowledge that could aid them in
developing and building faster, quicker and more agile robots that probably won't
be used to hunt gazelles on the African plains………
- She’s been something of a curiosity for virtually her
entire basketball career, so it comes as no surprise that Brittney Griner isn't interested in
furthering that perception. The 6-foot-8 former Baylor star who now toils in
virtual anonymity for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has passed on a chance to
suit up for the nomadic band of basketball pranksters that is the Harlem
Globetrotters. Griner, who also has a contract with a Chinese team to keep her
career rolling when the WNBA is out of season, was selected Tuesday by the
Globetrotters as one of five selections in their annual player draft. She is in
the middle of her rookie season with the Phoenix Mercury and is already
committed to playing in China this winter. "While it's an honor to be
considered, I am under contract with the Phoenix Mercury and the Zhejiang
Golden Bulls," Griner said. "And I am 100 percent committed to doing
all I can to bring championships to our fans." In spite of her reluctance
to play for them, the Globetrotters chose Griner first, followed Doug Anderson
of the University of Detroit Mercy, Tyrone Davis of Northwood University and
high-flier Corey Law of High Point University. They wrapped up their charade of
a draft by picking New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. Law makes sense
because he has a 44-inch vertical leap, but Rivera is 43 years old and about to
retire from baseball. It’s the second time Griner has been selected first in a
draft this year. In April, the Mercury made her the No. 1 pick in the WNBA
draft. "Brittney Griner is a great ambassador for the game of basketball
and a terrific player," Harlem Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider said.
"Our North American tour runs from the end of December to the end of
April, which would not conflict with the WNBA season. The Globetrotters already
have two outstanding female stars, so the transition to our roster would be
seamless." As it turns out, Griner will not join Tammy Brawner and Fatima
Maddox in Globetrotter red, white and blue………
- What the eff is going on in Qatar? While the rest of the
Middle East is swamped in a sea of revolution and seeing leaders overthrown or
under attack left and right, the oil-rich nation that bought its way to a World
Cup hosting gigs and promises of man-made clouds to cool fans has undergone a
quiet, seamless transition from its old ruler to its new one. Qatar's
now-former emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, took control in 1995 from
his father and on Tuesday, he handed the reins of his nation to his 33-year-old
son. Sheik Hamad made a brief statement and that was it. The new emir, Sheik
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, takes over in a move that critics warn could be perceived
as a direct shot at traditions among the Gulf's other ruling dynasties,
traditions that hold the belief that power can only be surrendered through
death or palace coup. Instead, Sheik Hamad addressed the nation in a televised
speech in which he highlighted the importance of shifting leadership to more youthful
hands. Prior to stepping down, he did extend the term of the country's advisory
panel, known as the Shura Council, a move that could delay elections for a more
powerful legislative body proposed for later this year. "The future lies
ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where
young leadership hoists the banner," Sheik Hamad said in his speech. His British-educated
crown prince of a son takes over amidst rumors of health problems for his
father, but Qatari officials have not confirmed those reports. As he exits, Sheik
Hamad can rest confident in the fact that he and his regime have thrust their
country to the front of regional affairs on many important issues. Qatar has
become a political broker and a center for global investment with a sovereign
fund estimated to be worth more than $100 billion. It owns landmark real
estate, luxury brands the popular French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain. The
new emir is a member of the International Olympic Committee and it was he who
helped the nation buy its way into hosing the 2022 football World Cup despite
having virtually no soccer tradition to speak of. If only all that money could
buy a decent reason for a revolution……..
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